# Ollie's Handwriting & Phonics > Interactive app for children to learn handwriting, phonics, and sight words. (iPhone/iPad app by Blue Mango LLC.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ollies-handwriting-and-phonics/id647775236 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Blue Mango LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1309203645) - Category: Education - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.40/5 from 83 App Store ratings · 24 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 8.0 · 50 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2013-09-22 - Data updated: 2026-06-08 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ollies-handwriting-and-phonics/id647775236/reviews.md ## What is Ollie's Handwriting & Phonics? Ollie’s Handwriting and Phonics helps kids become successful readers – with errorless teaching! Children practice letters and sounds, read custom phonics words, and spell sight words without reinforcing bad habits. Created by a Kindergarten teacher with a Master’s in Early Childhood Education, Ollie is based on the most successful research-based national handwriting and phonics programs. Featured as a top “Classroom Learning” App by Rasmussen College. Ollie helps children improve fine motor and handwriting skills as well as introduce, reinforce, and solidify letter and sound recognition. Kids have fun with colored chalk on a “blackboard” with chalk sound effects! TRY OLLIE FOR FREE – WANT MORE? UPGRADE TO UNLOCK THE ENTIRE APP FOR ONLY $2.99 HOW IT WORKS: Kids learn with Ollie to recognize letters and their corresponding sounds. They practice handwriting and reinforce phonics skills by tracing capital and lowercase letters and spelling and reading phonics and sight words. CAPITAL & LOWERCASE LETTERS: Ollie shows the letter shape, name, sound, and corresponding phonics picture (“P is for Pirate!”). PHONICS WORDS: Ollie shows how to separate and put together sounds to read and spell words with accompanying graphics (“c...a....t.... cat!”). SIGHT WORDS: Ollie shows how to read and spell sight words (the, to, and). MY WORDS: Easily add your own custom words to practice handwriting, reading and spelling - unlimited ability to delete and change words to suit your interests and needs. FEATURES: •errorless teaching prevents kids from reinforcing bad habits •all letters are practiced in traditional handwriting lines •uses multi-sensory techniques (sight, sound & touch) to enhance cognition •visual demonstration (by Ollie the Owl) of how to form letters for all 52 letters (capitals + lowercase) •sleek, engaging, kid-friendly graphics for each letter of the alphabet and phonics word •audio on every page to reinforce letter names and their corresponding sounds •colored chalk on blackboard with chalk sound effects to mimic real life practice •phonics words sounded out letter by letter by Ollie to reinforce beginning reading skills •sight words (high-frequency & irregular words) to handwrite and spell •add custom words up to 5 letters long (your child’s name/nickname!) to practice handwriting & spelling •customizable settings to adjust for level of difficulty (tracing outline on or off) A TOOL FOR PARENTS, TEACHERS & THERAPISTS Ollie’s Handwriting and Phonics was created as a portable, accessible, and affordable way to put the best literacy research and tools into the hands of supporting adults who want to help children develop and master the building blocks of becoming successful readers and writers. WHAT’S FREE? Capital letters A – M Lowercase letters a – m 2 Phonics Words: bug, cat 2 Sight Words: the, to 1 My Word (customizable word you choose!) UPGRADE TO THE FULL VERSION TO GET MORE: One In-App Purchase of only $2.99 to get… All Capital letters A – Z All Lowercase letters a – z All 10 Phonics Words: bug, cat, dog, fin, fox, jet, map, pig, sun, web All 10 Sight Words: the, to, and, is, can, see, my, go, you, we All 10 My Words (unlimited ability to delete and edit words) Download free materials such as the Ollie App Companion Guide (lesson ideas & examples) and Teacher / Student Checklist (record keeping & accountability for individual therapists or classroom teachers) at www.BLUEMANGOLLC.com. Check out www.BLUEMANGOLLC.com to read the free Companion Guide for Parents, Teachers and Therapists and get information, links and downloadable PDFs on literacy in early childhood, lesson ideas and literacy materials. Sign up for our newsletter to get more free materials and the latest updates on Ollie Apps! ## Key features - Errorless teaching methods - Letter and sound recognition - Handwriting practice (capital & lowercase) - Phonics word reading and spelling - Sight word practice - Custom word creation ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | upgrade to unlock the entire app (all remaining letters & words) | $2.99 | one-time | ## Recent user reviews (10 of 24) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ollies-handwriting-and-phonics/id647775236/reviews.md ### 2/5 — A lot of potential - needs a lot of work *2025-01-29, version 2.1* First problem noticed is that the lowercase T is not correct - this is relatively minor when we are talking early learning, but still isn’t good. Next issue is HUGE - just like the view of the app preview shows the slides sideways - this isn’t a fluke and is how it is in the app as well. The words and certain times of the larger chalk board coming up are completely sideways and it has no ability to be adjusted. Using on iPad pro ### 5/5 — Google *2023-09-09, version 2.1* Good app ### 3/5 — The sound isn’t working anymore. *2021-05-12, version 2.1* The app had sound when tracing but now I cannot get the sound to work. I’ve deleted th app and reinstalled in twice and it’s still not working. Help! ### 4/5 — Good App *2020-09-25, version 2.1* I like this app but I get irritated when I have to pay to buy half of it. ### 3/5 — Good App, Doesn’t transfer between devices *2020-03-31, version 2.1* Purchased the app and enjoyed it, but when I tried to open it on another device (same Apple ID) it said I needed to purchase the app again. Customer service was no help and said it currently isn’t made to be used by a single user on multiple devices ( like iPad AND parent’s phone). A bit of a letdown. Also didn’t transfer to new phone. Kind of a sneaky way to get multiple purchases. ### 1/5 — Not working *2020-02-24, version 2.1* This app does not go beyond letter M . It’s disappointing ### 2/5 — Great idea. Needs a tweak *2019-10-04, version 2.1* Tested by me, Nanny, I was excited to give my girl to help her, only to find out it stopped at M. Not excited anymore. ### 3/5 — Can’t figure out how to make all the letters work. *2019-08-23, version 2.1* My daughter is enjoying it but most letters are blocked out and I’ve searched but can’t find a way to fix it. ### 4/5 — Confused *2019-01-24, version 2.1* My son is learning a lot, but the letters only go up to m. Is there a way to get the rest of the alphabet? ### 5/5 — Excellent *2017-10-22* This is a fantastic app for my 5yr old & 6 yrnold who are starting to learn their letters and words in school ## Frequently asked questions about Ollie's Handwriting & Phonics ### What does Ollie's Handwriting & Phonics do? This app helps children develop foundational literacy skills by teaching them letter recognition, their corresponding sounds, and how to form letters correctly. It also includes practice with phonics words and common sight words, all through an engaging, errorless teaching approach. ### What are the key features of this app? Key features include errorless teaching to prevent bad habits, practice with both capital and lowercase letters, phonics word reading and spelling, sight word recognition, and the ability to add custom words for personalized practice. It also uses multi-sensory techniques and engaging graphics. ### How much does Ollie's Handwriting & Phonics cost? The app offers a free version with access to a portion of the letters and words. To unlock the entire app and all its features, there is a one-time in-app purchase of $2.99. ### What age group is this app suitable for? This app is designed for young children who are beginning to learn to read and write. It is particularly beneficial for preschoolers and early elementary school-aged children looking to build strong literacy foundations. ### Can I use this app to teach custom words? Yes, the app allows you to add your own custom words, up to five letters long. This feature is excellent for practicing specific words relevant to your child, such as their name or nickname, reinforcing handwriting and spelling skills. ## Version history (last 4 releases) ### 2.1 — 2017-07-06 This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon. Supporting new OS updates ### 2.0 — 2016-08-20 Bug fixes and added rate us option ### 1.0.1 — 2013-09-30 -Minor Bugs Fixes -Added Screenshots for iPhone 5 ### 1.0 — 2013-09-22 No release notes. ## Apps similar to Ollie's Handwriting & Phonics | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Connecting the dots is fun](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/connecting-the-dots-is-fun/id419063287) | 5.0 (1) | $1.99 | Education | | [SnapType](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/snaptype/id1124115982) | 4.5 (368) | Free | Education | | [READING MAGIC 3](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reading-magic-3/id446469837) | 4.6 (10) | Free | Education | | [iWriteWords](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iwritewords/id307025309) | 4.8 (12) | $2.99 | Education | | [Sight Words Reading Cards](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sight-words-reading-cards/id6460877415) | — | Free | Education | | [Dexteria Jr. - Starter Pack](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dexteria-jr-starter-pack/id1526021215) | 4.1 (30) | $0.99 | Education | ## More apps by Blue Mango LLC - [Ollie's Handwriting & Phonics for iPad](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ollies-handwriting-and-phonics-for-ipad/id647784046) - [Ollie's Handwriting & Phonics for Schools](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ollies-handwriting-and-phonics-for-schools/id779453713) All apps by Blue Mango LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/1309203645 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-08.*